1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a brake control apparatus that controls the braking force applied to a wheel provided in a vehicle, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An antiskid brake apparatus in which the control gain at a pressure intensifying stage of a control cycle accomplished by an antiskid control means for controlling the slip rate of wheels is changed in accordance with the magnitude of brake hydraulic pressure that is generated corresponding to the brake pedal operation is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-05-301567. In the described antiskid brake apparatus, the pressure intensifying control gain changes in accordance with the brake hydraulic pressure, that is, the hydraulic pressure on the primary side of an open-close valve provided for an antiskid control. Therefore, the apparatus effectively prevents a wheel from locking, and enhances the controllability associated with the antiskid control.
However, in the above-described antiskid brake apparatus, hydraulic pressure on the primary side fluctuates depending on not only the brake operation, but also the opening and closing of the antiskid control valve. The fluctuation in the primary side of the antiskid control valve hydraulic pressure associated with the opening and closing of the antiskid control valve contributes to the degradation of the controllability of the antiskid control.